Casewell
How to read this in the UK
Three things need to stay separate in a record. What the arrangement says, what actually happened, and the file that shows it. Blur them together and a reader has to take your word for it. Keep them apart and the record speaks for itself.
The UK is not one family-law system. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own rules, forms and vocabulary. Use the words that appear in your own order or agreement rather than a term borrowed from somewhere else.
Keep the complete source file, not a crop of it. Write events in the order they happened, and say plainly where something is missing or unclear. A family solicitor can work with a record like that. They cannot work with a reconstruction.
Which part of the UK your case is in
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own family courts and rules. Say which one your case is in, and use the same words your order or plan uses. Only mention addresses or schools when they help explain what happened. Before you treat a private timeline as a court document, check the rules with a solicitor.
Start with the planned contact
Record the source of the plan first. The order, written agreement, calendar entry or confirmed message. Add the date, scheduled start and end, exchange place and who was expected to attend. This prevents the log from becoming a memory of disappointment rather than a comparison between plan and outcome.
Record what actually happened
Use separate fields for actual start, actual end, whether contact went ahead, and whether the contact was changed by agreement. If the reason was given in a message, summarize it and attach the full thread. If the reason is unknown, write that it was not known at the time.
Include ordinary contact too
A contact log that only records problems can look selective. Include completed contact, agreed changes and make-up time. Everyday entries give the reviewer a baseline and make repeated missed or late contact easier to count.
Connect every entry to evidence
Attach or reference the message, call log, calendar record, travel receipt, school note or witness observation that supports the entry. Do not force weak evidence into the log. A blank evidence field is better than implying proof exists when it does not.
Prepare the log for professional review
Before sharing the log, filter it by date range and issue. Add a short cover note naming the question for review, such as missed weekend contact or repeated late returns. Keep originals separately and ask a qualified expert what should be included.
Use one reference for each source
Give every order, message thread, call log and file a stable ID, then use that ID in the contact row. This lets a reviewer verify an entry quickly and makes later corrections less confusing.
Before you share your record
Everything above is about keeping your own record. Before you show any of it to someone else, a few extra steps help.
Work from a copy and leave the original untouched. Take out any private details the reader does not need.
Check that every important sentence links back to a date or a source. If one does not, rewrite the sentence rather than filling the gap with a guess.
Family law is different in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Make clear which one your case is in, and ask a family solicitor what the court rules let you share.
Contact log checklist
Use this checklist for each contact period.
Copyable contact log row
Paste this into a spreadsheet or use it as the structure for a Casewell entry.
DATE:
SCHEDULE SOURCE:
PLANNED CONTACT:
ACTUAL CONTACT:
EXCHANGE LOCATION:
WHO WAS PRESENT:
COMMUNICATION SUMMARY:
EVIDENCE REFERENCES:
CHILD-RELATED EFFECT:
FOLLOW-UP OR MAKE-UP TIME:
KNOWN GAPS:- Useful wording
Scheduled contact was 10:00-16:00 under ORD-03. Contact began at 11:12. Message at 09:48 said traffic. Screenshot MSG-044 attached.
- Weak wording
Late again and clearly does not care about the order.
Example: reviewable contact entry
The strongest entry gives the reviewer facts and limits.
- Planned
Saturday 10:00 to 16:00, exchange at library car park, source ORD-03.
- Actual
Exchange completed at 11:12. Contact ended at 16:02.
- Communication
Message at 09:48 stated traffic. No earlier notice in the thread.
- Evidence
MSG-044 screenshot and complete thread export kept.
- Limit
Reason for delay not on its own verified.
Court timeline
Turn your screenshots into a court timeline
Have the messages and receipts as screenshots? Casewell reads them, puts them in date order and turns them into a neutral court chronology with an exhibit pack. Try it free, and pay once if you download the documents.
Or keep a dated record as things happen in the Casewell app.
Should a contact log include successful contact?
Yes. Successful and everyday contact creates the baseline that lets an expert understand whether later missed or delayed contact is part of a pattern.
Is a contact log legal evidence?
A contact log can support planning, but a court or expert decides relevance, court process and weight. Keep the source material behind each entry.
How detailed should each entry be?
Use enough detail to reconstruct the plan, actual outcome, evidence and follow-up. A short complete entry is usually better than a long emotional narrative.
Does this cover Scotland and Northern Ireland too?
No. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate family-law systems, forms and terms. Use this page to keep your own record in order, and get advice from someone who works in your part of the UK.
Sources
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate family-law systems, forms and terms. The official source gives orientation only. This page is a documentation guide, not legal advice.